


Alexandrite

by SilverMirror12



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Insecure Alec Lightwood, Jewelry, M/M, POV Alec Lightwood, fluff with a smidgeon of angst, not-so-subtle wedding quips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 23:19:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7242922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMirror12/pseuds/SilverMirror12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“And it’s not like I don’t miss you when I’m stuck at the Institute. So I thought, maybe I could try it.”</p><p>Magnus’s eyes trailed down to the ring in sudden understanding. “You wanted to wear something of mine,” he clarified.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alexandrite

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Alexandrite](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8150182) by [Batty_Blue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batty_Blue/pseuds/Batty_Blue)



“You know,” drawled Magnus, “if you wanted a ring from me that badly, there are more direct ways of asking.”

Alec’s crossed his arms without thinking, subsequently hiding the jewelry on his right ring finger. “Th-that’s not—I wasn’t trying to—I’m not asking you to marry me, Magnus!” The very idea made his ears and cheeks grow hot.

Something shifted in Magnus’s expression. He was still smiling amusedly, but the creases in the corner of his eyes smoothed out a little. It was barely anything, and it made Alec feel like shit. Six months of dating had taught him some of the intricacies of Magnus Bane; Alec wasn’t arrogant enough to think he knew everything, but he’d learned enough to see through minute changes that would fool anyone else. Magnus was hurt because Alec couldn’t stop himself from overreacting to a _joke_.

Great. Stellar job, Lightwood.

“Of course you aren’t, darling.” Magnus settled on the arm of the sofa, and nodded to Alec’s clasped hands. “That still leaves the question of why you’re wearing one of my rings.”

“Right.” Alec looked down at the ring he was twisting back and forth. It was black, with small diamonds lining the band, and a winged skull was carved out of the top. It was crowned with a beautiful gemstone that shifted between blue and purple depending on the light. The colors reminded him of Magnus’ magic.

“It’s stupid.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” said Magnus.

Alec sighed, resigning himself to embarrassment. “I went looking for it, okay? Not _this_ exactly—” he waved his hand, “But just. Your jewelry. In general.”

“You…” Magnus cocked his head. “You went in my closet?”

“What? _No_!” Alec shook his head so wildly that something stretched in protest. Wincing, he rubbed the side of his neck. “No no no _no_ , never. I know your closet is, like, holy ground.”

Magnus chuckled. “Appropriate words, Nephilim,” he teased. “However, considering you’ve been using said closet for several weeks now, I think it’s safe to assume we share joint custody.”

“Psh.” Alec shook his head again, careful to do it slowly this time. “I’ve got a corner, Magnus. Hardly anything permanent.”

He could cringe at the thought of the few outfits he kept stashed in Magnus’s closet. Magnus had cleared out a space after Alec began spending almost every other night at the loft. It was a symbol that carried as much weight as a key (which Magnus gifted to Alec a few days later); _you have a place here, with me, whenever you desire._ And Alec wanted that. By the Angel, he _wanted_ with an intensity that scared him.

Not that it mattered. Alec received a cold reality check every time he walked into Magnus’s closet and saw the cluster of blacks and grays standing out like a sore thumb. An ugly stain of amidst colorful luxury, sort of like how Alec sometimes felt around Magnus. It was hard not to be acutely aware of the drabness of Alec’s looks and personality when standing next to someone who was never less than gorgeous.

Any time Alec became too complacent, too lost in the feeling of Magnus’s hand in his, the closet was always there to remind him of his place.

The light dimmed in Magnus’s eyes again, and Alec wanted to smack himself. What had he done _now_? To distract them both, he gestured to the ring.

“Anyway. You know how you wear my clothes sometimes? When I’m gone for a while, or that time you got sick—”

Magnus sniffed. “We agreed not to talk about that.”

Alec laughed. Magnus didn’t get sick often, but when he did, he tended to take it as a personal offense from the universe. A cranky Magnus really shouldn’t be as adorable as it was. When Alec had voiced the thought, Magnus looked even _more_ affronted, and it took more cuddling than usual to get him to relax again. Alec suspected Magnus drew his petulance out just so Alec would continue nuzzling his hair. Honestly, sometimes he acted like he was part cat rather than part demon. ( _One and the same, my dear,_ Magnus would quip.)

“I know you do it when you miss me. And I really like the sight of you in them.”

“You do?”

“’Course I do.”

Magnus looked surprised before he smiled. It made Alec’s heart stutter, like it had every time before and would every time after. “Maybe I’ll wear them more often, then.”

“That’s…” Alec shook his head, trying to cut off his blushing at the pass. “The point is, they obviously help you. And it’s not like I don’t miss you when I’m stuck at the Institute. So I thought, maybe I could try it.”

Magnus’s eyes trailed down to the ring in sudden understanding. “You wanted to wear something of mine,” he clarified.

“I’m way too big to fit in your clothes. Not like I could pull them off, anyway.”

“I don’t know, there’s a few shirts that I think you’d look _exquisite_ in,” mused Magnus. “Just a little magic to tweak the size…”

“No, Magnus.” If Alec felt awkward just standing around Magnus’s clothes, he imagined actually wearing them would make him shrivel up on the spot, like an ant under a magnifying glass.

Magnus sighed. “Maybe as a birthday present.”

Alec rolled his eyes and pointedly ignored that. “So your clothes were a no-go, but I thought, maybe some of your jewelry? I wasn’t about to go rifling through your closet, but you always have some stuff littered around your vanity. I thought I’d just…borrow one. See how it felt, then put it back.” Alec looked glumly down at the ring. “You weren’t supposed to see it.”

“You’ve been home for hours, though,” Magnus pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess I just, um, forgot about it? It’s actually pretty comfortable.” Alec twisted the ring off. “I’m sorry, I should’ve asked first, I’ll put it back—”

“Sweetheart,” Magnus stopped him gently. “I never asked you if I could wear _your_ clothing.”

“But that’s different.”

“How so?”

“Because my clothes are ugly.” Realizing what he’d just implied, Alec hastily tried to backpedal. “Not on you! I mean, you could probably make literal trash look good, I just meant that my stuff isn’t…it’s nothing worth kicking up a fuss over.”

“It’s still yours. And I should’ve asked.” Magnus traced Alec’s cheek, and Alec leaned into the contact without hesitation. “I’m sorry, darling.”

Alec was _not_ about to sit there and listen to Magnus apologize to him for something so trivial. He raised the ring again. “I would’ve kept it safe if we had to go on a mission,” he promised. Even as simple as it was, the ring probably cost more than all of Alec’s possessions combined.

“I know, Alec. I trust you.” Magnus cocked his head, studying the ring with a smile. “Keep it.”

“Magnus—”

“Do you know what this stone is called?”

Alec blinked at the abrupt question. “Um. No?”

Magnus smiled wider, and slid the ring back on Alec’s finger. He tried not to shiver, tried not to imagine the ring as something more familiar, more traditional.

“Alexandrite.” Magnus splayed Alec’s fingers against his palm. “The stone is called alexandrite.”

**Author's Note:**

> Alexandrite is a real stone, and it is known to shift in color under certain lighting. [Here's](http://artmastersjewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Art-Masters-Winged-Skull-14K-Black-Gold-1-Carat-Chrysoberyl-Alexandrite-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-R613-14KBGDAL-P.jpg) the ring Alec's wearing.


End file.
